hi everyone first time posting here and looking for some opinions. A while ago i got an old but pretty much unused sporterized 1917 eddystone/enfield/p17 that has been ignored. now that i am in a lull as far as firearms projects go and i want to turn my attention to it. What I need input on is whether I should try and restore this thing or make it into a decent sporting rifle. Nothing has been hacked or milled off the metal so i would just need stock,handguards, and some barrel bands etc. But these stock/handguards are getting harder to find and depending on the situation may be more than im willing to pay. Or i could refinish the stock, bed the action, float the barrel, reblue, drill and tap etc and have a half decent sporter. What do you think?

M14sRock

10-21-2010 03:41 AM

Welcome aboard, DCM.

If it is restorable, I'd go that route. Tons of hacked up sporterized 1917's floating around, so you could pick up a sporter project cheap.

If you can do yours back to orig config, that is what I would do.

Let's see some pics.

And when you can, swing over to our Introductions thread and tell us about yourself. We already know you have great taste in rifles.

I hate to disagree with M14s but since it's already 2/3 way down the sporter route, I'd just finish it off and have a nice cheap spare rifle. If I wanted an original SMLE I'd find one closer to that condition and go from there. Just my $.02.

M14sRock

10-21-2010 03:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by freefall
(Post 371803)

I hate to disagree with M14s but since it's already 2/3 way down the sporter route, I'd just finish it off and have a nice cheap spare rifle. If I wanted an original SMLE I'd find one closer to that condition and go from there. Just my $.02.

YOU WOULD DARE TO DISAGREE WITH ME!!!? :D JK.

But it is a 1917, not a SMLE.

dcm

10-21-2010 04:10 AM

honestly c3shooters link just helped a lot, i guess my light googling for stocks should have been more frequent cause numrich looks like it has my number. thanks for the advice, i think im just anxious to get working on it and want a quick fix. i should just find a cheap wreak to occupy my time until i gather all the parts for the 1917

dteed4094

10-21-2010 04:22 AM

If the barreled action has not been defiled I would try to restore it to its origional glory. Sporterizing is something you would do with one of Freefall's guns. If only the stock has been cut you are Not even one tenth of the way to a sporterized Enfield the way it should be. Milling the reciever, Tactical or Sporting, cutting and straightening the bottom steel, drilling and tapping, removing rear sight , removing ft sight, recrowning or rebarreling, reblue, restocking,glass bedding, free floating, stock finishing, Scope , Rings and mounts, trigger work. Probably about three times as much money as a compairable rifle would cost. You Decide . Alot of steps and more decisions.

CA357

10-21-2010 04:30 AM

If it hasn't been cut up, restore it. The parts are out there and it's not as expensive as you seem to think.

I have a sporterized 1917 and if it had been restorable, I would have restored it. Unfortunately the rear sight was ground off, the front sight was gone and the barrel shortened and a flat floorplate installed. It was also drilled and tapped, but it was well done, so the best I could do was freshen it up and make it mine. ;)